Generally speaking, graphic media products comprise symbols, barcodes, text, and other indicia, which may be marked on a blank media substrate by a variety of printing systems. As used herein, the term “blank” may refer to a substantially unmarked substrate of the print medium. The print medium may comprise paper, plastic, and/or other markable materials. For example, a printing system may mark paper based print media with an ink based marking material. The print system may comprise a media feeding mechanism and a media marking mechanism. As used herein, the term “mechanism” may refer to a functional component of a printer system (“printer”).
The feed mechanism is operable for feeding, providing or supplying (“feeding”) a supply of the blank media substrate to the print mechanism. The feed mechanism may be operable using a force applied by traction, or by another impetus. The print mechanism may comprise a print head, which is operable for marking the barcode, text, or other indicia onto the blank medium as it is moved into proximity therewith. The unmarked medium may be placed into proximity with the print head with a platen, roller, gear, or other assembly, which may comprise a component of the feed mechanism (and/or of the print head, itself).
Prior to being fed into proximity with the printhead, the blank medium substrate may be stored in a rolled configuration, which is disposed on a spool for presentation to the feed mechanism. Other media storage configurations may also (or alternatively) be used. For example, the blank media may comprise a plurality of individual flat planar sections folded in alternate directions, relative to each other, and arranged into an “accordion” like configuration. The accordioned sections may be stored within a magazine, bin, box, or other storage container associated with the feed mechanism. The individual sections are unfolded as the medium is fed into the printer.
Various printers are operable for marking media comprising other correspondingly compatible materials. For example, blank print media used with thermal printers may comprise a thermal marking ribbon and an associated thermally-markable media substrate, which may be stored together on the roll, spool, or folded-feed magazines for supply to a thermally operable printhead. The thermal printhead is operable for heating a portion of the area of the blank print medium substrate corresponding to a target (e.g., programmatically controlled or specified) location at which a symbol or other portion of the barcode, text, or other indicia is to be printed. A visible marking material is transferred from the thermal marking ribbon to the locally heated portion of the medium substrate.
Light emitting print heads may mark photosensitive media photographically. For example, some lasers printheads may be operable for marking media substrates comprising metallic and/or other materials by etching associated with controlled deposition of high optical energy and related localized thermal effects. Some other laser printheads may be used, in fact, to print encoded data patterns on media substrate layers corresponding to optically-encodable layers of a computer readable storage medium, such as a Compact Disk (CD), Digital Versatile (or ‘Video’) Disk (DVD), Blu-ray Disk (BD), and/or other optically readable media.
Some other print heads may also be operable for etching, or otherwise marking media surfaces chemically. For example, the print heads may controllably deposit chemical etching agents (“etchants”), such as solvents or acids, over localized portions of acid-sensitive media substrates, or a bleaching agent (“bleach”) over bleach-sensitive media substrates.
Upon the printing of the graphic media product, the individual unfolded sections, or sequential portions of roller-fed media, may be singulated by cutting, tearing, or another separation technique into individual printed media products. The individual printed media products are thus separated from the remaining blank media supply (or a subsequent, sequential, and/or incompletely-printed section or portion thereof). The singulated printed media products may comprise labels.
The labels may be applied, affixed, and/or attached (“applied”) to an item to provide information. The information may comprise, for example, identification, characterization, warnings, and/or other data related to, or associated with the item to which the label is applied. Contemporary media products comprise small labels, or larger labels that have small margins.
As used herein, the term “small labels” may refer to two dimensional (2D) labels with at least one spatial dimension that measures less than a corresponding dimension of an item on which the label is to be affixed, applied, and/or attached. As used herein, the term “larger labels” may refer to 2D labels with at least one spatial dimension that measures more than a corresponding dimension of a small label. As used herein, the term “small margins” may refer to a substantially non-printed, and/or graphically blank and/or null area disposed about, around, bordering, circumscribing, delineating, and/or peripheral to an area of the labels covered substantially by the printed barcodes, text, or other indicia.
The small labels may be intended to be applied to items such as, for example, small containers used for dispensing medicines, which may comprise narcotics, radiopharmaceuticals and other therapeutic or diagnostic drugs. As such, the labels may be applied to the items for the purpose of providing important information to users of the item. The information may relate to the safe use of the items and/or precautions, “side-effects,” hazards, and/or dangers associated with using the item. In such uses, the print quality specifications may comprise significant rigor with respect to strictures for heightened levels of precision related to the uniformity with which the markings are applied to the specified target positions.
The print quality specifications may thus comprise significant rigor with respect to strictures for heightened levels of precision related to the uniformity with which the markings are applied to the specified target positions. The heightened strictures may also apply to some of the larger labels with small margins. For example, the larger labels may be intended for application to “high end” items with fine external appearances or other heightened aesthetic characteristics.
However, contemporary printers may tend to drift the position of a printout of the text, barcodes, or other indicia marked on the print medium. This ‘print position drift’ comprises a change in a position at which the printout is marked on the print medium, relative to the position at which a corresponding printout is marked on a previous label other product, or to a programmed, preferred, specified, or target (“specified target”) position on the surface area of the print medium at which the barcode, text, or other indicia is thus intended to be printed.
The print position drift can lead to a visibly perceivable non-uniformity between individual labels and other printed media products, which may be specified to conform to a uniform printed configuration. For example, the uniform printed configuration may be specified to consistently, repeatedly, and/or continuously mark the printout at the specified target position with an allowable level of precision. Non-uniform labels produced as a result of the print position drift may fail to conform to the specified uniform printed configuration and a related print quality specification.
The print position drift may be caused by changes in the amount of the print medium remaining in a media storage magazine over time, which changes mechanical forces associated with the printer mechanism. For example, as the print mechanism operates over time, the blank print medium is consumed in production of the labels or other printed media products. As the blank print medium is consumed, its remaining mass is diminished over the printer operating time and thus, comprises less weight to be moved by, and/or exerts less drag on, a component of the feed mechanism.
Some contemporary printers implement a mechanical approach to addressing the quality issues posed by the print position drift. For example, the ‘Intermec-3240’™ printer (commercially available from Honeywell™ International, a corporation in New Jersey) comprises a mechanical feature, with which an operator may attempt to re-adjust the position of the printout over a successive printing of increasing numbers of labels and/or other printing products from the roll or other media substrate supply. As used herein, the term “operator” may refer to (a) user(s) of the printer system.
However, the mechanical features with which the operator may implement the adjustments add both cost and complexity to the printer systems, and may introduce associated reliability and maintenance issues, with additional associated costs. Moreover, such features may focus the ongoing attention of the operator upon monitoring the position of the printouts over at least significant portions of the duration of the printing. As such, the operator's attention may thus be directed away from other significant activities, endeavors, jobs, opportunities, and/or tasks, with even further associated expenses.
It could be useful, therefore, to adjust the print position on a label during a printing of a sequence or other plurality of labels or other printed media products. It would also be useful to control or direct the printing of each of the labels (or other printed media products) “properly,” relative to an intended, or specified target printed configuration, and/or in conformance with a quality specification. Further, it would be useful to adjust the printing, and to control or direct the printing quality of the labels (or other printed media products) without requiring modification of print job data streams, interruption of ongoing production processes, and/or without demanding undo focus of operator attention or an intervention by an administrator.